The billboard (July-Dec 1895)

BILLBOARD ADVERTISING is the Official Organ of the OHIO Bill Posters 9 Association. THE BILLBOARD ADVERTISING. If an experience of 'over 28 States, managing billboard^work, is worth anything, I would sug- gest some very radical changes in the present system. While; there is little Jtfoubt that the billboard is oneof the most effective modesof advertising we have, the fact must not be lost s ight of that it is only auxiliary. It is just as useless to exploit the virtues of a ware upon the theater boards and dead-walls of cities without house-to-house circularizing"as it would be to sell a complex machine to a novice without dire ct i ons for using the same. He might learn, but, nine to ten. he would misappiopriate every screw and nut in the experiment. Billbonrdadvertising—or. as it might be more aptly put. bill posting—has grown into such wide proportions in America that we grow reckless with our manner of doing it, and arc inclined to be injudicious in it The fact i.s. lithographic bills—except iv cases of opera troups and shows generally—are not only no longer an attraction to the moneyed and inter- ested portion of citizenship, for an idea has be- come prevalent almost, that it is a sigu of " mustiness **—shows the rusticMn one—to hesi- tate long enough to gaze at a billboard. Unlike the newspaper ad, in this respect, the bill should contain as little reading matter.as is consistent with good sense, going at the observer in a straightforward manner, and, if illustrated at ail, illustrated in such a way as to hold the eye of the most casual reader, until he gets something worth remembering, and carries it away with him, and purchases the goods, if it be in line of his needs. Get up something original. If illustrated, let it be black and white only, and the work, of some first-class artist, and let it impress the beholder with the originality of the design, and a much greater effect will be the result. Of coarse* for country advertising, a little dis- play of pictures may be more readily observed than in the large, busy, hustling city—but never, if possible, fall into the age-worn idea that the people who use medicine, or buy gums, or wear fine collars, are like children—ready to be at- tracted by any glaring picture, posted regardless of its aptitude to the wares advertised. Get up large black and white letters £ come at the ob- serve! with a plain statement of what you have; convince hint by your brevity, and attract him by some originality, and no matter how many hundreds of flaring head-lines of "feoReward," or "Another Wreck,** may be posted near your bills, yours will have that steady, consistent, yet powerful, influence that characterizes a good thing which everybody knows is good, and which is so because it has good backing. The cataract may be heard miles away, but it is only the slow, bending, smooth river that will bear the burden of commerce upon its bosom. ARTHUR T. ABERNETHY. In Priners Ink Advertising vs. Notoriety. .BOLD ADVERTISING. There is no use advertising in a half-hearted way. '-Somebody, we don't remember just who, said: "He who asks timidly courts denial." This is as true in advertising as in anything else. One of the best things an advertisement can do is to convince readers that the advertiser is in dead earnest about his business, that he means what he says and expects to be believed. A manufacturer or dealer ought to believe in his own goods. He ought to be in love with his business. If he states his belief dearly, forcibly, earnestly, in his advertisements, it will kindle belief in others and he will gain trade. One of the best advertisements lever saw; says and ex. pert, was that of an electrotyper„ It was quite a good sized advertisement, and the biggest line- in it was this; "I want'your work." It was a direct appeal to everyone who saw the advertise- .' ment There was no mistaking what that advertise- ment was tor. The man was after business, and he didn't care who knew it. He went on to say why he ought to have the work he wanted. Of course businesses _differ, but all businesses are more or less alike, and all advertising has one object. It is meant to sell goods. There is no use trying to disguise that, and it is no use trying to make people believe that you are ia the business for any other reason than a desire to make money.— The Western Stationer. .. Do advertisers, or at le ast advertising placers, discriminate as they should between advertising and notoriety ? Advertising usu; lly produces a sort of notoriety, but, if it be of the right kind, also produces positive returns in increased sales and profits. Notoriety brings an individual or a firm into notice, but may not add to the income or to the business. The craze for circulation and direct returns is largely the result of an ordinate desire for notoriety. The custom of measuring the value of an advertising medium by th»: claimed circulation or the number of postal card answers to an advertisement is altogether too comnior. In fact, the reputations of some of our leading publications depends chiefly upon extra- vagant claims of circulation and a carefully trained constiiency, who send postal cards for samples, catalogues or anything else offered for litLle or nothing. Xotoriety is easily obtained. Any sort of a bright, catchy advertisement .in a popular medium will Good an advertiser with applications for samples or catalogues aud esti- mates of the cost of the advertisement in rival publications Unfortunately the actual advertis- ing-, the net business results, are usually iu in. verse proportion to .the answers received. Of course there are articles of universal use which can be sold throngh indiscriminate advertising, and the successful advertisement of these articles in papers of general circulation often mislead advertisers of articles, the use of which is limited to certain classes. For example, Sapolio is used everywhere, in the city as well as in the country, while ice-cream freezers a,re as a rule only used in suburban districts and country villages. Type- writers and lawn-mowers are used by distinct and widely different classes, and yet we often see them advertised on adjoining pages in our magazines. If then, an advertiser or an advertising placer, seeks notoriety because he has an article of gen- eral utility, or to gratify his vanity, he should patronize papers or magazines having a general circulation, but if he is advertising an article of limited use, he is very foolish if he follows the leadership of so-called "experienced"' and "suc- cessful'* advertisers. In these days of trade and class publications he can easily select a paper which goes directly to the people lie desires to interest in his products. Other things being equal,: a paper which is taken chiefly by the owners of homes should be, the most valuable medium. Of these there is a class of papers which are not appreciated or patronized by the advertisers of household or domestic articles as they should be. I refer to such papers as the Rural New Yorker, Country Gentleman, Garden and Forest, American Gardening aud similar pub- lications. This class of agricultural and horticul- tural publications are taken almost exclusively by the owners of farms, suburban estates or country homes, who spend, say £2,000 per year for utensils and articles for the homeand family. As a rule they usually do their own purchasing, and are easily influenced by advertisements. The readers of the average city newspaper and a large proportion of the higher trashy, illustrated papers purchase very few articles for household use or ornamentation. Their money goes for clothLig, bicycles, theatres, liquors, cigars, and to the hotel or boarding house. They know little, and care less, about wall paper, serometors or Asnton's salt. An analysis of almost any paperofgeneral circulation will show at once either that advertisers are wofully misled by agents, or do not discriminate with wisdom. I am more and more inclined to think that judi.. clous and profitable advertising consists in mak- ing a plain statement directly to possible cus- tomers. I should find out what papers were read by.my customers, and the relative influence they exerted upon them; I would then make my selections regardless of "claimed** circulation or rates per thousand, and say to these readers just what I would say to them over the counter or in my salesroom. This is advertising business; all else is a combination of eccentricity and an inor. dinate desire for notoriety. J. H. Griffith, ProJitabtrAdversising Patronize the man who advertises. You do not visit your neighbors unless asked to, and do not attend a party or wedding without an invita- tion ; then why should you intrude on the priva- cy of a storekeeper without an invitation i Buy of the live business man, who not only invites you to come to see him every day, but educates and kreps you posted on what is popular in his . line of goods.— The Western Stationer, ROBERT L. ANDERSON. In compliance with the editor's request Mr. An- derson furnishes us with the following sketch: In giving to your readers a brief description of my life and connection with the bill posting business, of which I am now president and manager, it must necessarily be very brief, and many of the varied and amusing experiences, known, I presume, to all bill posters, be omitted. I was born in Liverpool. England, September 15, 1S60, where I remained until I was 21 years of age, associated with my father and four brothers in the show card and printing business. In the year 1879 I was converted a Mormon and emi- grated to America in 1SS2, and settled in Salt Lake City. There I found a new country and an entirely different field of labor. There were no show cards used, and as my capital was very limited. I resorted to manual labor, and worked upon the railroad. Later I procured employ- ment in a sign and paint shop. From New York City my father came out West, when we decided to engage together at sign writing. We con- tinued to work together for some time when two more of my younger brothers came out to Utah. These boys, especially Scott Wm. (who is now secretary and treasurer of our business), was a better sign writer than I, continued with my father, and it was suggested by one of our local newspaper men that we try the bill posting business. To this I consented, a license was procured and a shingle hung out "city bill poster.** The amusement houses at this time owned all the boards and locations, and could employ whom they pleased to post their paper My first experience in posting was displaying one sheet posters for tobacco. Our newspaper friend sent the tobacco agent to us in reference to putting out his work. When he asked our price we did not know what to tell him, being ignorant of the craft in any way. -i told him that we wished to be in accord with other states, and asked him the price paid in other towns, to which he told us 3c. per sheet for thirty days. " If he had said ic it would have gone out just the same." Anyway, I sauntered forth with my roll of paper in one hand and my brush and bucket of paste in the other, onto the highways, seeking or stealing a "daub," in mortal fear of arrest. It soon became noised about that there was a new man in the field. A few weeks later I was appointed theatre bill poster, and my first stand to cover was with the " Lights *o London," a 32-sheet lithograph of the "Union Square" Company, and it took me about two hours to cover this board, and I used a ladder to all but the bottom sheets We have met with very fierce opposition, but during our career thus far have never been convicted of any unruly or unlawful act. Believing in Brigham Young's policy "that it is cheaper to feed the Indians than to fight them,*' we sought the opportunity to buy our opponents out, and thereby settled the difficulty that was ruining our business Slowly and surely we wrested from the thea- tres all of the bill boards and locations, and on the 18th day of April. 1891, we incorporated our business with $5,000 capital, fully .paid up . Fol- lowing the march of progress, we united our- selves with the "Associated Bin Posters* Asso- ciation in April. 1803, and we hope to work in conjunction with that l»dy to elevate and im- prove the moral and financial standing of the bill posting business. KOBHRT L-ANDERSON, Manager Western Bill Posting Co. Sai/tLakb City, Utah. Road-Side Advertising. The man from the city spending his vacation in the country is surprised to see the large number of signs painted on fence-rails, rocks sides of barns and fastened to trees, informing passers-]ty where to go for dry goods, clothing' furniture, stoves, seeds, etc. The similarity in this kind of advertising is noticeable, all the signs containing about the same matter, without regnrd to the business represented. Occasionally one firm, more enterprising than others, will erect guide boarJs at the cross-ronds, 1 ut it is seldom that anything else out of t!ie ordiu iry is seen. This ro:id-side advertising has its value. It is to the country people what street car ndvei tiding is to tho>e in the city, and the signs should be made ju.-.t as attractive as the street car cards of nowadays are, but. oi course, 011 a -scale to .suit the different conditions. The country merchant shoull place his sign- boards at frequent intervals, and they should be of n uniform shape-and size. Then he should have printed a series of cards of a size to fit the boanN. These cards can be so attractively gotten up that the attention of travelers along the high- way will be drawn to them- Some of the cards might l>e illustrated and contain only a few words of matter, while others should be without pictures, but with a few catch- words in very large type. It must be remem- bered that these cards will be at least ten feet away from the readers, and no type too small to be easily distinguished from that distance should be used. The cards should be put up so that a person , traveling to town may see the whole series. Changes should be made as often as once a week. Where number six has been number eight may do some good, and so with all the others. A trial of plan similar to this is recommended to merchants who seek the country trade. Of course it will not take the place of newspaper advertising, but can be used iu addition to and in connection with it. J. Fred Wright. Printers* Int. JAMES A. CURRAN. Our first page this month contains a very good picture of James A. Curran. President of The Curran Bill Posting & Distributing Company, of Denver, Pueblo aud Colorado Springs, and also Treasurer of the Associated Bill Posters" Asso- ciation of the United States and Canada, He was born in New York City, July 31, 1S55. and came West with bis parents to Kansas City in 1869. where he worked for Mel Hudson, who was. and is still, manager of the Coates Opera House, and city bill poster. From there he went to Fort Scott, Kansas, and had the bill boards in that city in the years '74 and '75- He sold out and went traveling through the South, getting up different advertising schemes for the hotels. During the season of '78 he located in Hot Springs. Ark., and owned the bill boards there. He returned to Kansas City from there, and went to Leadville in the year 18S0, when the Leadville boom and excitement was on. He started the bill posting business in that silver camp, which was the highest priced city for bill posting at that time. The prices he got for theatre work was at the rate of 6 cents per sheet; lithograph- ing, s cents a sheet; posting or hanging half- sheets, 3 cents each. These were good old days, and you could spend nothing less than 25 cents, and all companies played week stands, The first circus contract he made was with Louis E. Cooke, who was general agent for W. W. Cole's New York and New Orleans Circus, then on their way to Australia. Mr. Cooke paid at that time at the rate of 50 cents per foot for bill boards in that city. They could well afford it, as the admission price was $1.50 and $1.00. The next year he contracted with Mr. Cooke on his return from Australia, and also broke in one or two new mining camps. In 1883 he located fti Denver, bought out two opposition firms, and organized what is now known as The Curran Bill Posting & Distribut- ing Company, Denver, Pueblo and Colorado Springs, whose business compares very favor- ably with any other bill posting ptnnt in the United States in regard to service, locations, and systematic manner of running the business, as each line of business Is managed separately by a department manager. Mr. furran has also been elected President of the Rocky Mountain Bill Posters Association. BILLBOARD ADVERTISING is the Official Organ of the MICHIGAN Bill Posters' Association. Bill Posters' Notes. The Southern Bill rostiiij? Association, LililjraciiiK the states of Umisiana, Miss- issippi and Alabama, is in process of organ- ization. SpauldiiiR & Gordon, of Boise City, Idaho, are the only meniliers of the Asso- ciated Bill rosters' Association at that point. They are much exercised over the fact that the" Capital City Bill Posting Co. of the same place, advertise that they con- trol all lx>ards and available places for posting in the city of Boise. Messrs. Spaulding & Gordon deny this assertion • vigorously. I.. D. Holier, of Meridian, Miss.„is one of the progressive bill posters of the South. Mr. Joe Brown owns the boards at Jackson, Miss. The largest permanent bill board in the world, that owned by Durkee & Callahan, of l'ittsfield, Mass., is at present entirely covered by Primley's Chewing Gum paper. Business is very good in Montana. The lK>ards look bright with new paper. Re- newed activity in the mining districts is 'improving business all over the state. Mr. Geo. H. Leonard is one of the bill posters who knows how to work up local potronage. Read his letter in another col- umn. The John Chapman Co,, Cincinnati, are always on the lookout for new locations, and notwithstanding the fact that they al- ready have one of the largest lists in the country, they are continually adding to it. The advertisers who send their work to them are always sure of a good showing. What might be styled the New York City Association has been instituted in the Metropolis. It consists of Van Bueren & Co., Harry Munson and Messrs. Reagan & Clark. They have a constitution and by-laws, or rather to be more exact, a con- tract and agreement governing certain rules which they are all doing business under. They have meetings each week where all differences and disputes are ad- justed and settled, and a set of fines rang- ing from f 50 to $300, for violations of any of the rules are imposed. Each concern has several thousand dollars in the forfeit fund, which is deposited in a prominent Trust Company. So far the new deal works to perfection and it is the opinion of the parties interested that they have succeeded in doing away with all bill- board fights in New York in the future. Ilrtiin*. published weekly from the Downing Building, in New" York, is a unique and valuable paper for advertising solicitors. Bill posters too can read it with pronj.. \V. C. Tirrill, of Lima, Ohio, wants to sell his business. Here is a chance for some live man. M. J. Doolcy of Atlanta, da., is taking care of nu enormous amount of work at present, on account of the Cotton States Exposition in that city. Every advertiser is satisfied with his showing. Lexington, Ky. Sept. 26, 1895, liUITGR BlIJJtOAKD ADYKRTISING, Dear Sir —I suppose the many bill posters who read your valuable paper will not object to hearing from the boards in Lexington, the Hub of the Blue Grass country. I would be feeling blue about not getting the first prize for my ad. were it not for the fact that business is so good. Before I advertised in Billboard Ad- vertising, my boards were often ragged and I had to have our own paper posted to keep them looking respectable, the>Opera House and one or two commercial advertis- ers were about the only customers we had, but as soon as our ad. appeared in your paper work commenced to come in, and lias not ceased coming yet. We now have on the boards, Star Tobacco, (renew every month), Primley's Gum, with all we can put out judiciously for another thirty days show, Pabst Tonic, Coca Cola, Warner's Safe Cure, Tansill's Punch, Peruna, Aunt Jemima's Pancake Flour, etc. Local pa- per for Kentucky's great trots, and more merchants than ever advertised before. The 100 copies of Billboard Adver- tising I subscribed for have brought us more business already thanT ever expect- ed, although but two numbers have been received as yet, we have received orders from three merchants who have never tried bill posting, and I know that the order came through their reading the paper. One order was from a florist; we gave him a $$0 contract as follows: painted and posted six stands 4x7, engraved, print- ed and posted 300 one sheets, all 30 days showing, distributed 3000 addressed fold- ers, all for $50. This is a cheap contract, but a good starter for a local man. A dry goods firm gave us an order for a one sheet engraved, printed, posted, 300 for |l25. thirty days show. We cut them out of a pine block and have them printed, so that the customer has only to give his or- der for bill posting and you do the rest. Boys this is a good scheme; try it. Every bill poster can afford to send 50 or a 100 copies of Billboard Adyertisikg to the business men of their towns. We have only used them two months, and can trace over one hundred. dollars worth of business as a direct result of their reading the paper, J Have had several more talks with others it interested, which will result in more work. We had to increase the number of our billboards, (' 'holdings."as Gude would say. or "hoardings," as Brother Donnelly of "Bosting," says) and will have to build more unless this thing stops. «*« Mr. Bert Moses, expert ad writer, of the city across the bridge .from Gotham, takes me to task for being flip, and using slang, but gives me credit for having the best bill posters ad in the paper. Mr. Moses probably knows how to write ads gener- ally but he ought to know that my ad was not altogether for catching business, but it was bill posters votes I was after as well. If I had received first prize, the space for twelve months, 1 would have had time to lookout for business, but as it is I got more business than I over expected to have in Lexington. .** Wishing Billiioakd Advertising and the 1k>vs that read it unbounded success, I am, " Yours fraternally, Louis H. Ramsey. ROCKY nOUNTAIN BIlfL POSTERS' ASSOCIATION. The Rocky Mountain Bill Posters' Association was organized at the Windsor Hotel, Denver, Colorado, on August 27, 1895, at 2:15 P. M., where they held their first annual convention. The following billposters were present orrepresented by proxy: Colorado.— A. H. Searles, Colorado Springs; John Coleman, Leadville ; Jos. A. Quinn,Victor; Jas. A. Curran, Denver; H. L. Rice, Durango; Merkel Bill posting Co., Cripple Creek; W. S. Cowles, Glenwood Springs; Jesse Mitchell, Pueblo; John B. T.edou, Aspen; Edw. A. Has- kell, Grand Junction; E.W. Paine, Buena Vista; Jos. Campbell, Boulder; Chris Taylor, Trinidad. Wyoming.— Er Friend, Cheyenne; Wm. Mar- quhardt, Laramie ; A. Schumaker, Evanston. New Mexico.— Hudson Bill Posting Company, Albuquerque; C. Tamme, East Las Vegas. Mr. James A. Curran was elected temporary chairman;' Mr. Chris. Taylor was elected tempo- rary secretary. The Committee on By-Laws and Organization reported. The By-Laws and Constitution were read, and adopted as read. Motion was made and seconded not to allow outsiders the privilege of tacking, posting, or distributing in any of our towns under our license. Carried. General remarks made on business by several of the members present, that we would stick by the Constitution and By-Laws of the Associated Bill Fosters Association of the United States and Canada. The subject of prices was thoroughly discussed and all members voted unanimously to maintain the prices that were made at the last National Convention, at Detroit, Mich. The following officers were elected for the en- suing year: President, James A. Curran; Vice- president, John Coleman, Leadville; Secretary, t hris. Taylor; Treasurer, A. H. Searles. The Association starts out with good member- ship, good feeling, and the prospect of inrprov- ingeachyear. After other genera] remarks were made by the several members, we adjourned till our next regular meeting. Tuesday Evening, through the courtesy of the Tabor Grand Opera House and Mr. Fred E. Wright, Manager of Hoyt's "A Black Sheep," we enjoyed the show. Invitations were also extended to the different members by the man- ager of Elitch's Garden, Manhattan Beach and the Orpheum Theatre, all of which were ac- cepted, anda vote of thanks tendered to them all, with our heartiest and best wishes. OHIO BILL POSTERS' ASSOCIATION A special called meeting of the Ohio Bill Posters' Association was held at the Upton Hotel yesterday, with representatives present from Cincinnati, Cleveland, Toledo, Findlay, Spring- field, Youngstown, and many other places. The object of the meeting was to adopt the scale of the national convention, held in Detroit, in July, and to classify the cities and smaller towns of the state in order to regulate the membership fee so that posters from the smaller towns can join the association. It -was also decided to make Columbus the regular meeting place of the Association, on account of its-centrallocation. The second Tuesday of May in each, year was designated as the time of the regular meeting. Four new members were taken in, as follows: P. H. Murphy, Barnesville; S. E. Ribreitz. Galion ; John Kuhn, Hamilton ; S. W. Scott, New Philadelphia. The following members -were present or re- presented: Bryan & Co., Cleveland; The John Chapman Co , Cincinnati; Miller Brothers, Columbus; George W. Bills, Toledo; Wolf Brothers, Dayton; City Bill Posting Company, Akron ; Canton Bill Posting Company, Canton ; S. C. Rook & Son, Youngstown ; H. H.Tyuer, Springfield; Charles J. VogaL Stevbenville Charles P. Rodgers, Sydney; S. W. Scott, New Philadelphia; Philip P. Oliver, Findlay; Mrs. John McQmgg, Ironton ; Mrs_W. D. Parr, Zanes- ville; H. B. Smith, Washington C. H.; W. C. Tirrill, Lima; w. R. Sergeant, Marion; J.J. Geeseman, Fremont; R. W. Elliott, Warren; Charles H. Eddy. Painesville; J. M. Harkness, Norwalk; W. W. Bruce, Elyria; I_ W. Ely, Wellington; Fitton Bill Posting Company, Bel- laire; W. S. Pruden, Geneva; W. J. Carney, Crestline; B. A. Brewster, Kent; I.. W. Smith & Son, Ashtabula ; Frank P. Hagans, Coshocton; W. H Devlin, Delphos; Charles E Hammond, Cambridge; C. O Taylor & Co., Urbana ; Hixson Bros, Piqua; William W. Bridge, East Liver- pool; S. Culbertson, Wellsville; John Kuhn, Hamilton; W. A. Brown & Co., Kenton. The association is organized for the protection and improvement of bill posting, and they cover a territory with a combined population of nearly a million and a half of people. The officers of the association are: H. H. Tyner, President, Springfield ; W. C. Tirrill, Vice-president, Xima; Charles F. Bryan, Secretary, Cleveland; Philip i B.Oliver, Treasurer, Findlay. The Chicago bill posters' war is over. Every- thing has been settled amicably. The American Bill Posting and Advertising Co. is taking care of some large contracts and ready for more. O. P. Fairchild, of Covington, Ky. has just com_ pleted some elegant new boards in prominent locations. He has also issued a very attractive list in the shape of an S-page booklet. , Bill posters should send to Hennegan & Co. for some of the three sheets which they adver- tise in this issue. They will help business and improve your boards. ELDER, JENKS & RABORG • ISxcelsior' Circus Paste — a»d —; BIFL POSTERS' BRDSHE* M ade of Hard Wood head, bot long Russian Bristles, copper wiied. The most piactical and reliable brush made. Will not come apart. Used and recommended by Barnnm Forepaugh and 1 he leading circuses and Bill Posters throughout the United Stales and Canada. Size »inch. Pr'ce $30.00 per doz. $3.25 Each. Extra Extra for Circuses $40.00 per Doz. $4 00 Each. Sent C, O, D. to all parts oi the Country ELDER, JEHKS&RABORG Brush Manufacturars Fifth Street, Cor. Cherry, PHILADELPHIA.